The
goal of the Early Classics in Biogeography, Distribution, and Diversity
Studies project is to identify and make electronically available,
as possible, those primary sources (especially periodical articles) that
have most affected the evolution of our thoughts on the geographical and
ecological distribution and diversity of life. The target field is biogeography;
not only does this study have a long and distinguished history extending
back to before the advent of the theory of natural selection, but it is
also highly interdisciplinary, incorporating elements of a good many other
sciences--including ecology, paleobiology, geology, conservation studies,
physical geography, evolutionary biology, bioclimatology, and systematics--into
its own emphasis on "what lives where, and why."

To
construct the bibliography itself I have waded through a large number
of sources, supplementing the opinions of individuals with an analysis
of citation impacts based on various bibliometric assessment devices. Suggestions for additions are
very much welcomed!

This
online bibliography features four significant enhancements:

(1) If the book or article is available
for free electronically, I have provided a link (in blue) to the source accordingly;
for example, to the SORA service for certain articles in Auk,
Condor, and Wilson Bulletin. It will be a while, unfortunately,
before any significant number of these can be set up: greater
copyright issues are involved for newer materials than for my pre-1950
service. Note, however, that I also link (in
green)
to about 430 items whose full-text can be accessed through the
JSTOR service most universities now subscribe to. JSTOR
is not a free service and users should thus be aware that their access
to any materials from this source will ultimately depend on IP address
considerations and whether they or their institution are subscribers.

(2)
Where available I have added a few links (in
red) to online biographical studies of major scientist
authors. Some of these links are to entries that are part
of a separate biographical resource I myself have created. Such
information should assist students and researchers by providing
an additional context for the studies themselves.

(3)
As time permits I have been examining items in the bibliography
to generate keywords that are descriptive of each work. These keywords
are listed at the end of the citation, after the code "A.T." (for "added
terms").

(4)
I have flagged what I view (bibliometrically and subjectively, especially
as related to the biogeography target) as the more important works
in the bibliography by preceding them with an asterisk; a two-asterisk
designation identifies particularly key items.

The
search
feature on the "To 1950" site scans through the content
of both Early Classics sites, plus the new biographical one as
well.